Ira Ehrenpreis
TeslaAbout Ira Ehrenpreis
Independent director of Tesla, Inc.; age 56; director since 2007; currently Chair of both the Compensation Committee and the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. Education: B.A. (UCLA), J.D. and M.B.A. (Stanford). Tesla’s Board has determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules; each director attended at least 75% of Board and applicable committee meetings in 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| DBL Partners | Founder & Managing Member | Formed 2015 | Leads impact investing strategy |
| Technology Partners | Led Energy Innovation practice | Prior to 2015 | VC leadership in cleantech |
| National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) | Board & Executive Committee; Annual Meeting Chairman | Various | Industry leadership; Outstanding Service Award (2018) |
| VCNetwork | Chairman | Ongoing | Largest active California VC organization |
| Western Association of Venture Capitalists (WAVC) | President | Ongoing | Oldest VC organization in California |
| Clean-Tech Investor Summit | Chairman | 9 years | Sector convening and thought leadership |
| Silicon Valley Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum (SVIEF) | Chairman | Years | Entrepreneurship ecosystem support |
| Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (FWE) | Advisory Board | Years | Diversity in entrepreneurship |
| Awards | NACD Directorship 100 (2018); NVCA Outstanding Service (2018); Japan Society Visionary Award (2023) | — | Recognized for governance and impact investing leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) | Advisory Council | Energy technology |
| UT Austin Energy Institute | Advisory Board | Energy research |
| Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy | Advisory Council | Energy innovation |
| American Council on Renewable Energy | Advisory Board (prior) | Renewable energy advocacy |
| Stanford Global Climate & Energy Project (GCEP) | Advisory Board (prior) | Climate & energy research |
Board Governance
- Committee leadership: Chair, Compensation Committee; Chair, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee .
- Board activity: 2024 meetings—Board (29), Audit (9), Compensation (9), Nominating & Corporate Governance (7) .
- Attendance: Each director attended ≥75% of Board and committee meetings held during their service in 2024 .
- Independence: Board determined all directors except Elon Musk and Kimbal Musk are independent under Nasdaq rules; cross-investments deemed not material to independence .
- No compensation committee interlocks in 2024 involving Tesla’s Compensation Committee members (including Ehrenpreis) .
Fixed Compensation
| 2024 Director Compensation | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Option Awards ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ira Ehrenpreis | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Cash retainers: “All seven of the outside directors have requested that the Company eliminate the future payment of all of their cash retainer amounts” .
- Equity grants: Board forewent automatic annual stock option grants in 2021–2022; several directors (including Ehrenpreis) permanently forewent Board compensation for 2023 pursuant to the Detroit Settlement; previously granted options returned/cancelled in May 2025 (aggregate 1,957,861 returned options) .
- Stock ownership guidelines: Directors must own Tesla stock equal to at least 5x the annual cash retainer; assessed over a five-year compliance window; all directors are either compliant or within the grace period (policy statement) .
Performance Compensation
| Element | Structure | Status/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Director equity program | Historically stock options, vesting over time; no bonuses | Board forewent option grants in 2021–2022; no director equity compensation reported for 2024 |
| Pay-for-performance alignment | Emphasis on at-risk equity for directors | Tesla disclosed director comp philosophy prioritizing equity/options and modest cash; directors may waive cash |
No performance metrics (e.g., TSR hurdles) are disclosed for director compensation; 2024 shows no cash or equity compensation for non-employee directors .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Organization | Role | Committee/Interlock |
|---|---|---|
| Public company interlocks | None disclosed for 2024 | Tesla states no compensation committee interlocks existed in 2024 |
| External public boards | Not disclosed for Ehrenpreis in Tesla proxy | — |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Deep venture capital, energy technology, and governance expertise; holds UCLA B.A., Stanford J.D. & M.B.A.; recognized with NACD Directorship 100 and multiple industry awards .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding | Options Outstanding (as of 12/31/2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ira Ehrenpreis | 855,394 | <1% (“*”) | 1,110,000 |
- Pledging: Tesla permits limited pledging under a monitored policy; the ownership table specifically discloses pledged shares for certain insiders (e.g., Elon and Kimbal Musk); no pledge disclosure is indicated for Ehrenpreis in the ownership table .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with long tenure and dual committee chair roles (Compensation; Nominating & Corporate Governance), consistent 2024 attendance, and strong engagement evidenced by frequent Board/committee meetings .
- Alignment: Directors have waived cash retainers; no director comp paid in 2024, reflecting conservative posture amid governance reforms (Detroit Settlement), and historical emphasis on at-risk equity .
- Oversight: Compensation Committee responsibilities include executive pay, clawback policy oversight, and non-employee director compensation review; Nominating & Corporate Governance oversees independence, conflicts, succession planning, and shareholder engagement processes .
- RED FLAGS and watch items: Long tenure (since 2007) may draw entrenchment scrutiny; Compensation Committee’s central role during periods of high-profile CEO compensation proposals warrants close monitoring of committee independence and process rigor, though Tesla disclosed no interlocks in 2024 and independence assessments under Nasdaq rules .
- Pledging risk: Tesla maintains a pledging policy with limits and monitoring; no pledging disclosed for Ehrenpreis specifically; continue to monitor compliance attestations .